Home
by out.of.sync
Summary: She was whisked away from the home she had grown up in, whisked away from the home she should have had and now, she must journey to the home where she really belonged.
1. Chapter 1

**WISHES**

**CHAPTER I**

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own Naruto. On the other hand, I do own the plot.

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **Please enjoy the story and please leave your comments on grammar, style and, of course, the plot. Lot's of thanks to you! :]

* * *

Rough scribbles of pen against paper echoed through the halls of her room.

"Words ran fast, so fast I couldn't even understand what these phrases mean..."

For moments and more moments, the pen continued to scratch and mark the paper. The pen continued to bleed and bleed more words into the battered piece of parchment. Until it stopped; replaced by a crumpling sound. The next second, said paper could only be found in the trash bin along with other doodled-on pieces of paper.

"Crap! Crap! Crap! All I ever write is nothing but a piece of trash - rubbish!" Keiko said as hot tears rolled from her eyes. She furiously brushed the tears dry and violently jerked her head back so as to stop the tears from cascading down her prominent cheeks.

She was reasonably good in writing but every single time she started writing something connected to her innermost thoughts. That's where she gets derailed, so to speak. Somehow, she couldn't write a single thing.

Caged. That was how she felt. Even though she has nothing she to wish for anymore, she felt utterly caged and incomplete and helpless. She couldn't do anything about it and this knowledge made it even worse.

She has a wonderful family – loving parents and adorable siblings. She had nothing else to long for, or so that was what people thought.

True. All of these are true. She knew she had to be thankful with the knowledge that she had everything laid out in front of her, and she was, but she can never deny the pit of emptiness in her stomach that threatened to swallow her body and soul. Despite everything, she felt hollow. Too hollow, she could not even cry hard enough to unburden her of her desperation to fill in the quintessential-looking void that was her self and her life.

She didn't know why she felt hollow, though. She just felt she didn't belong here. Something just felt wrong. There was something; something that made her feel this perfect life was just a lie. That behind this wonderful mural seemingly made by the great Masters, her graffitied life exists. She wanted to believe that out there, a world that was hers exists. Keiko only wished that her musings were true and that her world would wait for her.

A knock so gentle interrupted her musings.

"Dinner is ready, Keiko. Come down now," her mother's voice rang.

She looked at her mother and flashed her a small smile, "I'll follow mom, I'll just arrange these things. Dad wouldn't be very happy to see my cluttered desk," she added lightly.

Keiko always joked around her family. Her light and witty remarks were the only things that kept her from totally revealing her wants when she's at the confines of her home - the four corners of her room.

_Good thing mom bought that one…_ Keiko thought as her mother silently laughed and nodded but left the door ajar as a reminder that she had to go down to dinner soon.

"Dad, can I go to the mall tomorrow?" a ten-year old male's voice asked.

"Me too! Me too!" A younger one chirped in as their father massaged his temples. He knew, these two wouldn't leave him alone so he conceded after a few negotiations.

"Thank you Dad!" The boys said as they left the table to go play.

_This is so monotonous. I crave for more. I thirst for adventure…_ Keiko thought as she played with her food. But quickly stopped as she realized her parents knew well enough she was not one to space out.

_They can't find out. I don't know why. Never mind why. They just can't! _She screamed into her mind as she racked her brain for something to do other than space out in front of her meal. Her meal… that's it! It was dinnertime so all she had to do was eat dinner and everyone else would think that she's alright.

Quickly finishing her meal, she stood up and excused herself from the table politely.

"I'll go to my room now, Mom, Dad. Thanks for dinner!" She smiled as she said these words. She smiled not because she enjoyed dinner but because she was itching to go to her room and dream about whatever she wanted to happen in her life just to break the monotony of it all.

She quickly left the dining hall.

_I want to break it. I want to tarnish this monotonous painting!_

_The monotony of my life…_

_But come to think of it, there is none to break, after all, for I have no life. This simple routine is not life. There's more, out there, I know. Something tells me, there's more out there, somewhere, however…_

"I don't know what's 'there'. I don't even know if 'there' exists," she said to herself as she plopped on her cushioned seat near the bay window. She loved this spot especially at this time of day, err…, night. It was just so perfect. The dark sky veiled by millions and millions of stars. It seemed to drown her into more and more dreams.

"And more heartbreaks. Come on, Keiko. Stop dreaming! Dreams don't come true. Fantasy is rubbish. You _should_ know better than believe in absurdities fed to toddlers!" She screamed at herself while childishly pulling her black hair.

_Dreams don't come true_. That's what they always told her before, back when she still told a few people of her secret yearnings. And so, when she left her middle school and entered high school, she only told one person of her longings and that person was her best friend, Ai.

But as a golden wishing star halved the sky, the girl found herself wishing for something she wasn't even sure of. She just knew she just wished for something with all of her heart.

Ai stood at the balcony of her room as she held the framed picture she had been looking at for the last ten minutes. The picture revealed the faces of the people closest to her; Kumi, Miyo, Miko, Manami, Ayu. But her eyes lingered on the faces of her best pals; Michi, Kaori, and Keiko.

A very bright light halved the sky. A golden streak lighted up the vast night skies and interrupted her so abruptly, she almost lost grip of the framed photograph. With a twinkle in her eyes (and after recovering from her initial shock, of course!), her green eyes followed the shooting star and she thought of Keiko.

_Surely, if Keiko had seen the star, she would have made a wish. That girl's a dreamer. It's good, at times but sometimes, I just wished she would stay with us here in reality,_ Ai thought.

Wishing. Ai had never tried wishing before but now, a tug inside her heart urged her to make a silent wish, to take a moment to listen to the desires of her heart. However, her pessimistic side wouldn't let her venture into the world of rainbows and unicorns. _Wishing only wound the heart,_ it bellowed inside her head.

This was her biggest problem; she couldn't control her pessimistic side. And more often than not, she usually ended up being control by her pessimistic side. True, people around her tried to help her cure her of this err… _condition_ but every single thing the people around her tried to do wasn't of much help...

Ai knew she had to do this and help herself. And so she took the first step.

And, for the first time in her life, Ai gave in to what her heart really wanted. And at that exact moment, she wished and put her whole heart in it.

A smile crept to her lips and, finally, made its way to her eyes.

The cold November breeze blew and caused her bright red hair to fly so beautifully, so gracefully in the cold wind. The wind blew again, but this time, it was colder and this caused her to shiver.

"The wind only blows this cold, deep into the night," Ai said as she stuck her head inside her room, she saw her clock and could make out a blurred image. And what the blurred image confirmed her idea; it was already eleven in the evening.

Panic ran through her veins as she immediately snuck back to her room and closed her eyes. She would be toast if her (cough*overprotective*cough) parents found her still awake at this hour!

"Tsunade-sama, Yamato-san wishes to speak to you," Shizune said as she carefully placed the bottle of sake in front of the Hokage.

"Let him in," the blonde said without looking up.

"Yes, Tsunuade-sama," Shizune sighed as she thought of how tired the Lady must have been since she had been working from sun up to sun down these past months. The Godaime had never been this … workaholic before. Before, she preferred gambling, drinking, and even idling than doing paper works but now, she seemed to have had developed some kind of infatuation with her documents and all her Kage-work.

Shizune let the masked ANBU enter the room and closed the door after him sighing as she mulled over how to help her mistress relieve stress and regain a life.

"What is it?"

"The barrier, Hokage-sama. It seems that the barrier is weakening. Many other ANBU mission reports state that for some days, Akatsuki can be found in the area, at the edge of the barrier and its weakest point at the same time. But other times, Orochimaru can be found there as well. I believe they are the reasons why the barrier is wea-"

Yamato came to an abrupt stop when the Hokage's head suddenly slumped into the pile of documents in front of her, with fists balled tightly; long, red nails dug into skin.

"Those bastards! Do you think they know?" She asked, or more like snarled, not lifting her head from its previous position.

"There is no other reason for Akatsuki or Orochimaru to break the barrier, Hokage-sama."

Right fist connected to the table with such great impact enough to break it and send splinters of wood everywhere in the room and outside it, for that matter. The sake bottle had shattered and the contents soaked the documents that were once orderly put on top of the now non-existent table.

"Why didn't you tell me earlier?" She growled. Lately, Tsunade had had a lot of things to worry about and now, these bastards are out to do more and, may it be added, serious trouble. The burden of the work she have had been weighing down on her that she thought of resigning and giving the kage position to the demon vessel but now, she couldn't do that anymore.

Naruto didn't know this new problem that had appeared. And, of course, he wouldn't be able to solve something he would find very difficult to understand in the first place.

"I just figured it, Hokage-sama. I am sorry." Yamato spoke the truth quietly. When Tsunade is this angry, it was best to spill nothing but what was true. And Yamato learned this from experience. Scratch that. _Hard_ experience.

Tsunade walked over to her window and massaged her temples as she contemplated on what must be done. She saw the whole of Konoha, the land she swore to protect and govern. However, aside from Naruto, there is only one person living today whom she wanted to protect. And she was nowhere near Konoha. This was the problem Tsunade didn't know how to tell Naruto. _She_ was the problem, but no matter how hard Tsunade tried to loathe this person, the Godaime Hokage found out she never could.

After a few moments, a defeated sigh escaped her lips.

"Alright. Send _him_ to her in order to give her protection. He will know what to do even if Akatsuki or," she choked on her former teammate's name (not to mention, but I'll mention it anyway, the source of her problem), "the other goes after her."

Yamato was confused not because he didn't know who "him" refers to but is confused as to why the Hokage would want to send this man after the girl. Truth be told, Yamato isn't all comfortable with this man; he couldn't bring himself to trust someone whom he deemed before as a traitor. He never even thought that this certain person knew of the Godaime's secret, nevertheless he answered.

"Yes, Hokage-sama."

But before leaving, he quickly did a few hand signs and in a puff of smoke, a new wooden table appeared in front of Tsunade.

"Thank you, Yamato."

The ANBU nodded and left the room. He knew he had some urgent businesses to attend to and very important business too.


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER II

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Naruto. I do, however, own the plot of this story.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I extend my gratitude to _Hidan's Little Riku_ and _Narutoske_. Thank you very much for your review and for your encouragement. Anyway, here goes the second chapter. I hope you enjoy this. And, oh! Please feel free to drop some comments after reading this. Thank you very much.

-Eliza Yuu

"Bye Keiko!"

"Bye Ai!" Keiko chirped as her red haired friend went the other way and disappeared as she rounded a corner.

The smile she plastered on her face fell. Keiko always felt happy when she's with Ai. They had only been friends for a few months but they felt so comfortable with each other; they were already best friends. Both could finish each other's sentences, and both could see through each others' lies. What made Ai even more special to Kieko was Ai's acceptance of Keiko's another world or, sometimes, other worlds. Ai was the only one who knew of the empty feeling gnawing Keiko from the inside. And in turn, Keiko was the only one who understands the way Ai feels.

They knew each other well and cared much for each other. They knew, though they do not feel, the exact pain the other was going through; for Keiko's pain was emotional (or maybe, even mental) and Ai's was physical.

But it was enough to be their link. This was their unique connection. It was their bond.

* * *

Keiko continued to walk as she prepared a list of things she needed to do once she got home:

a. Calculus homework

b. English poem about Work

c. Linear Algebra Problem Set on Matrices

d. Journalism Article on the environment...

She was so lost in her thoughts she failed to see where she was going. She just walked and walked and walked. She just trotted the road. And she resolved to stop only when the path ended or when she grew tired.

* * *

"I'm home," Ai tiredly said as she plopped on the couch and closed her eyes. Her heart was weak, she easily gets tired and that's the reason why she tend to idle in the house whenever she's home. This was also the reason why her whole (and it really means whole) family was very protective of her.

"I'm home," Ai repeated as she realized that no one answered her. Her sister was always there. She was always home, but where is her sister now?

Her skin prickled as she felt someone near her. It wasn't her sister, she knew. It this person was her sister, her sister would have talked to her right now.

Ai quickly willed her eyelids to open, revealing her green eyes. Green locked with black.

"Where is the girl? Where is Keiko?"

She didn't know whether it was from the callousness of the voice or the intenseness of the eyes or the question itself that frightened her. All she knew was her heart beat stopped, and all of a sudden it beat so erratically.

Black enveloped her vision.

* * *

A knock on the window disturbed Tsunade from her work. Glancing at the clock, she realized that it was past midnight.

_Who on earth is stupid enough to go here at a time like this? _

But once she recognized the familiar chakra of the man she deemed intelligent (even a genius, honestly), she opened the window and stood in front of it expecting a person to enter.

"My apologies, Hokage-sama," the man said as he went though the window with a body slung over his shoulder – a girl's. "She was not where she was expected to be. And so I asked this person but she passed out. However, I believe, she didn't _just_ faint."

Tsunade nodded and motioned for the man to lay the body on a bed. She approached the bed and focused her glowing hand on the female's head.

"Is she her friend?" She asked as she lowered her hands to the young lady's chest when she found out that nothing's wrong with the unconscious one's head.

"Best friend, Hokage-sama," the man corrected as he _observed_ with red eyes the thing Tsunade was doing.

She nodded though her perfectly-shaped brows were furrowed. There was something wrong with the girl's heart. It's beating was weak.

Tsunade knew she must save this girl's life for it meant so much to someone very dear to her. However, it would take time. The man who brought this girl must protect the other one at all cost. _At all cost_.

"Leave her here. It will take time for her to completely resuperate. I trust that the situation in her home is clear, no traces?"

"Yes, Hokage-sama."

"But, Itachi, you said she wasn't where she was supposed to be. What do you exactly mean by that?"

Itachi thought hard on how to break it Tsunade but he knew there was no easy way. So he just answered, "I supposed she was missing, Hokage-sama."

The blonde woman froze as her mind replayed the words Itachi had uttered. She didn't even hear Itachi report in details. Her heart stopped beating (figuratively, of course!) but her mind raced. There were so many possibilities. Orochimaru or Akatsuki might be the ones who had abducted her but there was also a slim chance that she was kidnapped by people who were not in any way connected to either Orochimaru or Akatsuki.

But Tsunade willed her thoughts to stay dormant for a while when she realized the bleak silence that plagued the very air which surrounded them. She faced Itachi and gave him a pleading yet somehow, a still authoritative smile.

"You may go now. But, find her, please."

"I will, Tsunade-sama," and with that the man disappeared, in his place were crows flying out the window.

The Hokage stared outside the window for a long time. She felt numb; so numb because of what Itachi had told her she didn't even feel the tears that marred her countenance.

The girl was missing; _she_ was missing and Tsunade did not want to believe it.

_What was the use of my strength and my skills when I couldn't even protect someone I love? _

* * *

"I believe the mission is clear to you now," the Akatsuki leader said as he stood in front of Sasuke and Suigetsu. They had already handed back to him the photograph of the person they needed to abduct. She looked weak but both knew that she had potential. Nevertheless, potential when she had never trained at all was nothing. In short, if no one out there disrupted their mission, this would be easy. _Very easy._

"Yes, Leader-sama," Suigetsu answered while Sasuke merely nodded. It was the expected response from the Uchiha.

It was common knowledge that Sasuke was not a very talkative person. But his murder of Itachi worsened his case. Now, he talked rarely. He just stared at people impassively. And when asked by a question answerable by 'yes' or 'no', he would nod or shake his head. But when asked otherwise, he would turn his back and walk away. He did this to everyone except, of course, to Leader-sama.

"I suggest you two depart soon, Konoha is already making measures to get her or to _protect her from us_ and Orochimaru. We must beat all of them."

The two nodded and left the room, went to their quarters and in a few minutes walked out of the headquarters and proceeded to jump from branch to branch while their cloaks – black with red clouds – billowed in the wind.

* * *

A light dream about Keiko and their friends roused Ai from her very deep slumber. Ai opened her eyes to see yellow-painted ceilings. Yellow? Their house doesn't have yellow ceilings. Quickly, she sat up and looked around.

She was in an unfamiliar room and an unfamiliar bed.

_An unfamiliar bed?!Kami-sama..._ she prayed as she slowly looked down her body. What she saw shocked her - she was fully clothed. "Thank goodness," she muttered quietely as she released a quite-contented sigh.

Letting her green eyes roam the place, she spotted a blonde woman sleeping on the couch. She was beautiful but the bags around her eyes showed that she was overburdened.

_Bags around eyes? Overburdened?_ That sounds just like Keiko, she mused and let out an involuntary giggle as she thought about her overly grade-conscious friend. True, Ai herself was a grade-conscious (GC) individual but Keiko was the superlative of GC. And sometimes, this caused the people around Keiko to back away from her a bit; Keiko may be charming (in a way, at least) but with this trait included in her attitude, _tsktsktsk…_

The lilting sound seemed to have roused the sleeping blonde from her sleep as she opened her eyes and stared at Ai.

"Good morning. Oh, I see you are well now," she remarked as she sat up and stretched her arms.

"Good morning, too. But what do you mean by 'well now'?"

"Oh, that. Well, you see, your heart had some complications. I believe you were a bit shocked by something and that caused your heart to beat rapidly and caused you to pass out," the older woman said as she walked over to her.

_Oh…_ Ai remembered now. _That freaky guy…_ Then, every piece of the huge jigsaw puzzle that was her life seemed to fall from the sky, Ai realized that she was kidnapped.

A scream tore itself away from her throat. It was so shrill, Tsunade had a hard time fighting the urge to cover her ears with her hands. _She has strong lungs_, the blondie thought.

"I am Tsunade," the older woman offered as she stood in front of a still-screaming Ai. Her voice was so controlled and loud that Ai immediately shut up.

"Ai," Ai timidly answered as she felt embarrassed with her screaming so she just contemplated on what to say next. By observing the whole place, she came to the conclusion she was somewhere far from home, but how far exactly, she didn't know.

"Uhm… Ms. Tsunade, can I go home now? My family might be worried. I am not going to tell them that you kidnapped me if you let me go" _Or they'd be in hysterics_, Ai thought.

Tsunade seemed thoughtful for a moment as she looked at Ai. She took in the girls flaming tresses, her green eyes which reminded Tsunade of Sakura, and her pale skin.

"First off, Ai, you were not really abducted but by the looks of it maybe you could consider you were. However, you were kidnapped because if you weren't you would be in deep trouble because someone that was in a way connected to you is still in great danger," Tsunade started. This made the Hokage think of Ai's family as well as Keiko's "family". _I have to protect them, as well_, she thought as her head strated throbbing.

_I guess, I'll just have to ask Team Gai to take care of the two families._

"Stay for a little while more, I have to make sure that you are fully recovered first before I let you go," she finished as she walked to another room with her right hand on her temple and her left hand on her hip.

Ai didn't say anything but nodded in response as she sat down the couch. The way Tsunade answered her question persuaded Ai to zip her mouth and refrain from asking questions.

But inside her head were questions waiting for answers. Who was that person Tsunade talked about? How was this person connected to her? And if this one is connected to her in some way, how was she now? Was she safe?

_Am I even safe? How about my family? _

Ai almost cried at the thought of her family. She told nobody how much she loved her family. Not Michi, not Kaori, not Keiko. No one as in no one. But really, she was ready to die for them – that was how much she loved them and inasmuch as she was afraid of what Tsunade would do if she seemed insistent she still wanted to make sure her family was safe and as far from trouble as one could be.

"Uhm… I know I might sound demanding, but will you please keep my family safe?"

Tsunade gave her a nod. Ai felt a surge of assurance and peace. _She sure is nice._

"Rest, I will just prepare for work. I'll just bring you with me. Don't worry, it is not far from here," Tsunade said as she entered the bath and prepared herself for the day ahead. The blonde dearly hoped that the bath would clear her head not from thoughts, but from headache.

* * *

Keiko felt her feet grow numb. She was so tired but she didn't want to stop walking. She knew she was almost there. Or she felt, rather. She couldn't know because right now the place was foggy. Everything was a blur. Not to mention she didn't know where exactly "there" was.

And so she walked until she bumped into something. Or, as she felt, someone. Keiko fell on her behind and she looked up to see dark red eyes.

Keiko's own deep brown eyes widened as she thought of it. _A pair of red eyes_. _It was very peculiar_. Never had she seen anyone with a red eye let alone two. What was even more peculiar were the three comma-like imprints in each eye and their constant motion.

She involuntarily shuddered as she felt a cold hand gently touch hers and pull her to her feet. But since she had abused her feet, she wasn't able to stand and ended up leaning against the person's frame.

The person then hoisted her and scooped her into their arms and walked. She knew she must not trust this person – she didn't even know who he or she was. But her instinct told her to place her trust in him or her. Another thing, Keiko had never been a suspicious person; she easily trusted everyone. And so she gave in and just hoped that her intuition was actually true. Nonetheless, she wanted to know who this person was. And as usual, Keiko's curiosity got the better of her.

"Thank you. But may I know who you are?" She asked as politely as she could. She never really had to try.

"Uchiha Itachi," the man answered without looking at her. He was so emotionless, he was so impassive that Keiko knew that if she could see the person's face it would be blank as a clean sheet of parchment waiting for blood red ink to be imprinted on it.

Content with the name of the man, she assumed that he was indeed a _he _because of the baritone voice that answered her question, Keiko settled herself comfortably against the man's well-toned chest.

The walked continued for a while and Keiko felt her eyelids grow heavy. She was almost ready to give in to sleep when Itachi suddenly halted.

Her heart beat faster though the reason it did was unknown to her. She also noticed the rate of his pulse which had considerably picked up.

Itachi's body went rigid.

* * *


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER III

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I do not own the characters from the said manga/ anime. I do own, however, Keiko and Ai and Hiro and all the other charcters (or names) I mentioned before.

Author's Note: Okay. So here goes the third chapter. I do not really know what to think of it but I do hope you enjoy the story. Anyways, please review (or critic) on the grammar, the style, and the plot. Also, I wanted to thank Hidan's Little Riku, miakimiharu, tempest-in-a-tea-cup, and Heidi. The reviews are very much appreciated (and pondered upon)! :) Moving on...

* * *

The fog was almost gone but that doesn't mean that there were no remnants of the hazy, whitish clouds. And the said remnants of the fog may have covered a bit of Sasuke's vision but he could feel it. Sasuke could feel _his_ chakra. And this caused him to freeze.

Suigetsu, who had gained a fairly good distance from Sasuke, realized this so he jumped back onto the branch Sasuke stood perched upon.

Sasuke looked at him for a few moments before muttering, "Itachi."

Suigetsu searched for the other Uchiha's chakra and found it directly below them. Itachi was still as a statue so he must have sensed them as well.

Sasuke felt another chakra pattern. It was very strong and very familiar. He figured it was the object of their mission's. _Leader-sama said the chakra would be in some way like Orochimaru's and he was right_.

Nevertheless, he let the thought go as he questioned himself as to why Itachi, his brother, was still alive.

_He was supposed to be dead. I killed him. So his death was just a fraud, no doubt, the story Madara told me is just another ploy of Itachi's._ Sasuke thought with undisguised anger.

He jumped down from the branch he was standing on and came face to face with Itachi. The fog had cleared now, and Sasuke could see his bastard of a brother in front of him, carrying a girl – and her looks confirmed that she was the one they have to abduct. Sasuke sensed Suigetsu also realized that. _So he has brains_, he muttered with spunk.

The girl Itachi carried was a little thing with a confused look on her face. On top of that, she was curled up against Itachi's chest like a nine-year-old instead of the nineteen she should be. And much to his confusion, Sasuke felt a twinge but he let the thought go. It wasn't important.

"Hello, brother," Itachi begun his usual greeting.

At the sound of the word "brother" Sasuke's anger suddenly rose to its peak and his curse seal activated instantly. The word still had that dear ring but all Sasuke heard were mockery and sarcasm. The marks on his body spread and he launched himself at Itachi.

Being the good shinobi that he was, Itachi easily dodged his brother's attacks. His demeanor was calm but his mind was already racing as to what he was supposed to do. He needed to bring Keiko somewhere safe. So he quickly transported her somewhere she might be safe. He also made a Kage Bunshin to finish up his plans.

Sasuke saw this and he looked at Suigetsu, who had also come down the tree branch, who took the hint.

Suigetsu raced towards the open forest to find the subject of their mission leaving the brothers for another face-off.

* * *

The fog had reasonably cleared now and so Keiko was able to see Itachi's face. His face really was impassive, she thought as she observed his blank face. She knew he was nervous, in one way or another, because his heart beat picked up but his countenance never betrayed his real emotions. He kept his emotions (or the lack of it) in check.

_But what could make him so nervous? _

With much uncertainty, though she never figured out why she was suddenly uncertain in the first place, she looked to where Itachi's red eyes seemed glued. And she was struck.

Before Itachi stopped a few moments ago, Keiko was very much ready to give in to sleep but what she saw stole from her mind every thought of sleeping.

She silently breathed a word with too much affection and too much despair, "Hiro."

Tears welled and it blurred her vision. After that everyone and everything around seemed to have disappeared.

All that was left was Hiro.

* * *

It was still early and the streets were empty but, even with minimal people on the roads, the place was beautiful. Ai let her eyes wander and take in the beauty of _… oh, that's right! I still don't know the name of this place,_ she thought as she realized she couldn't name the very land she was stepping on.

"Uhm… Ms. Tsunade? What is this place called?"

"Konoha."

Satisfied with the answer, Ai gave the lady her thanks and they walked in comfortable silence.

They continued this for more minutes before Tsunade stopped. Ai, who wasn't paying attention, bumped into Tsunade and blush a deep red as she murmured her apologies.

After the embarrassing situation, Ai lifted her green eyes to see a tall building bearing a sign which read: "Hokage Tower." _What is Hokage?_

But instead of entering the building, Tsunade turned right and continued walking. She looked over her shoulder and looked at Ai.

"Care for some breakfast? You look famished."

Quickly forgot about the whole Hokage confusion and focused herself on Tsunade. Ai didn't know how in the world Tsunade knew she was hungry and so she asked the older woman.

"How did you know I was hungry?"

"Well, you haven't eaten since you passed out which was, I think, more than 12 hours ago," she answered, " also, you holding your stomach kind of tipped it off," she added as she flashed Ai a smile.

Blushing at this, Ai looked at Tsunade and smiled back. The blonde's full lips were drawn into a wide smile but the beautiful smile didn't reach her brown orbs.

_She must be troubled by something_, Ai thought. Reading people through their eyes was her expertise. That was how she knew Keiko's innermost dreams; _Keiko's eyes revealed everything_, Ai mused. Tsunade has been very good to her so far, considering that the woman was the one who healed her and advised her to rest a bit, so Ai wanted to reap her kindness she decided.

But, she had one problem, she didn't know how.

So lost in her thoughts, Ai didn't notice Tsunade stop in front of a ramen house.

Ai snapped back to reality as she bumped into a post just outside the store Tsunade walked into. Sighing, the hokage shook her head at Ai's short attention span and ordered a miso ramen for her and another ramen for the girl. This reminded her of a certain knuckle-headed shinobi.

_And, oh! Speak of the Devil and the Nine-Tailed _Demon_ Vessel comes_… Tsunade thought as she saw a bright, almost-blinding flash of yellow from afar. Naruto had improved his speed now and as she estimated it, he would be here by … "now," she said as Naruto took a seat beside her.

"Good morning, granny!" He beamed.

Tsunade merely grunted in response. Really, she disliked it whenever he called her that. She isn't a grandmother. She's still a mother to a girl Naruto's age although her age could pass as a senior citizen's. _My child_. Tsunade tried not to think about _her_. She knew she would just get depressed when she thought about her daughter.

A loud groan disrupted her train of thoughts and she looked over her shoulder to see Ai holding her head. It looked like she had a bump on her forehead. She laughed at the girl. She sure was fun. No doubt, her daughter found this girl amusing.

Ai stumbled to seat herself at Tsunade's other side and she rested her head on the counter.

"Who are you?" Naruto blundered as he just couldn't contain his inquisitiveness. He said this just after he ordered his favorite ramen.

"Ai. And who are you?"

"I am Naruto Uzumaki and I am going to be the next Hokage of Konoha! Believe it!" He shouted as loud as he could.

Ai who, in the slightest, does not have any idea what a Hokage is muttered a "whatever" and resolved to eat her food.

Naruto at Ai's comment, became enraged. He pointed his forefinger at Ai and attempted to yell at her when Tsunade stopped eating and flashed her eyes, dangerously, at him. Needless to say, Naruto cowered under her glare and shut his mouth immediately.

Noticing that his ramen is already served in front of him, Naruto dug in and after a few moments, he was back to his usual self – goofy.

"Ne, Baa-chan, do I have a mission today?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't want to."

"That's not good enough reason," he whined more like a five-year old who was not given a lollipop than a 20-year old shinobi that he was supposed to be.

This barrage of crazy-question and short-answer portion continued until they reached Hokage Tower. It lasted for a good five minutes but to Ai, who was almost driven crazy by Naruto's insistent and hyperactive disposition, it was an eternity of nonsensical noise.

The older woman noticed the annoyed look in Ai's face and smirked as she was struck with a brilliant idea. She turned on her heel, placed her hands on her waist and looked at Naruto straight into the eyes.

"Do you want a ninja mission?"

"Of course, Baa-chan!"

Tsunade almost groaned at the nickname but let it pass. She would give him what he wanted. She just hoped he was up for it.

"Okay. So you will get one," she smirked wider as she went inside the building with Naruto on her heels and Ai staying as much away from the talkative male as she could.

* * *

Keiko scanned the area in which she was "teleported" to and sighed. She was on top of one very high tree. This tree is approximately 64 feet high. And according to calculus and the theory she formulated for the last ten minutes she had been perched atop the tree, if she jumped down from this height there is a slim, and a _very_ slim possibility at that, that she will not sustain a major injury or an internal bleeding.

Keiko had never had this kind of adventure before and adrenaline pumped in her veins each passing second. This was something she had laways wanetd. She wanted to jump. She wanted to try it, and get the feel of it. She wanted to try to feel the air as it rushed against her. She wanted to try to fly. However, there was one things she doesn't want to try. And that was to die.

Cursing her terrible luck, Keiko inwardly prayed Itachi or someone else would come and rescue her. She was worried that if she continued to stand, she might fall of to her death or if she was to sit down, she might lose her balance or fall asleep and end the same way she would when she decided to stand up.

She also prayed for something else; something that involved the young man she saw earlier. _Hiro_. She knew it was him; she couldn't be mistaken. She knew she had seen Hiro.

_Stop dreaming, Keiko! How many times do I have to tell you that wishing only leads to heartbreaks? _

In order to keep her thought away from Hiro, Keiko heaved a sigh and prayed for something which for everyone's perspective is more important than some boy – her life.

_Itachi… or anyone for that matter, please come to my rescue. Please…_, she silently prayed as she took a tight hold of the branch decide her to keep her from falling and to support her weakening legs.

Just then, the rain started to pour. It came as a drizzle, but soon, it grew strong. Too strong for her to keep holding on to dear life. She knew that if this kept on and if she couldn't keep her mind focused on staying alive, she would eventually slip and fall straight to hell…

_Anyone, please help me now!_

However, Keiko's prayers were a little too late because the rain continued to pour making the branch too slippery for Keiko's hands to keep a good grip.

The only indication of her fall was the squeak that was torn from her throat as she fell down faster and faster. She never had a good pair of lungs unlike Ai nor Ayu but she still hoped against hope that it would lead someone into her path and save her.


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER IV

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto (oh, but how I wish I do). On the other hand, I do own the plot, Keiko, Ai, Hiro and all the others.

Author's Note: Hey! Err... How do I start? So... It's pretty quick, right? Let's just say I'm making up for the delay of my third chapter. Yeah, that's it, I guess. Oh, by the way! Thank you very much Mister-or-Miss tempest-in-a-tea-cup for your review (as for Ai's hilarious moments, it's because I based her on a very funny girl) :).

Well, I do pray that you enjoy my story. I hope it brings you some joy. Also, please type in some reviews on the grammar, the plot, the pairings (?!), and the writing style. Thank you very much. I send you all my love (though you might not want it). :]

* * *

Suigetsu ran around the forest, gray hair almost flowing around him due to his incredible speed; ninja speed - not quite sure where to go at first but stopped, and searched for the presence before he turned to the southwest. _There you are_, Suigetsu thought as he felt the familiar chakra emitted by the girl they were looking for and were supposed to get.

He stopped at a clearing, certain that he had already found his prize. Conversely, the moment he turned around, yellow, slit-like eyes met his unlike the deep brown ones he expected.

"Why, hello there, Suigetsu," the monster of a snake guised in a white and purple robe greeted as his eyes landed on the other male's form.

* * *

Pupiless eyes widened at the sight. _No_, he thought, _it can't be!_ But everything he saw proclaimed otherwise. Orochimaru was not yet finished. In actuality, he was far from being finished. Especially now that he had escaped the restraints of Kabuto's body and acquired Suigetsu's which was actually a lot better than Kabuto's.

"What is it, Neji-kun?" He heard TenTen ask behind him.

"Orochimaru."

He said this as he turned around. Only the three of them were on this mission. Gai-sensei was doing another mission for Konoha and as from what he heard, it involved fixing a barrier and protecting some people. He also heard that he was there with Kakashi-sensei and Sai.

"So what do you suggest we do?" She asked yet again as her brown brows furrowed just below her brown bangs.

"I suggest that we head back to Konoha soon. He is still far from the village but if he decides to go there, he might be there in no time. He is a sannin after all."

Bleak silence hung in the air as the Hyuuga prodigy disclosed amongst his teammates his strategy and watched the two of them nod their heads in unison before disappearing into thin air.

He shook his head and turned off his Byakugan. There was no need to waste chakra. If Orochimaru was indeed going to Konoha, then the village was in for one hell of a battle.

* * *

"Why are you still alive? I thought you were dead?" Sasuke asked as he lunged – full speed - at his brother. Itachi merely sidestepped Sasuke before he delivered a forceful kick to Sasuke's side. Itachi's Sharingan caught sight of the punch of his younger brother aimed at him after Sasuke failed the previously planned lunge but Itachi avoided it without breaking sweat.

"That was what you _thought_," he answered with his voice soft and emotionless at the same time, emphasizing on the 'thought'.

Sasuke's vision was blurred by his anger. For the past three years, he thought he had already killed his brother and ended his nightmare. But now, his worst nightmare stood near him, and worse was his nightmare's cool and ready demeanor which screamed that Itachi could and eventually _would_ beat him on any given day.

Anger. That was the only thing needed to activate his curse seal. It was like a parasite that fed on his anger and transformed it into such dark power. Slowly, the anger in his heart fueled his curse seal and his body.

And with the curse seal, spreading through his body, Sasuke felt the rush of power gather at his hands the same time he thought of summoning blue lightning.

He knew this move was reckless. Using Chidori on a perfectly strong Itachi is useless. Itachi could either avoid it or hit him before the he could even start a run towards his _aniki_.

_Aniki._ Sauke thought with disgust. He had already reminded himself time and again that Itachi wasn't his brother anymore. But no matter how hard he tried to deny it, Sasuke's heart still yearned for the person whom he looked up to – his hero - since he was a little boy. He knew his brother was a very intelligent and rational individual who wouldn't do something unnecessary. That was the reason why his mind and consciousness still asked, _why?_

And before he could stop it, the question swiftly flew from his lips.

"Why did you do it?"

Itachi stiffened. He half-expected that Madara would have already told his brother of the truth. He opened his lips to speak but before he had the chance to do so, a blood-curling scream echoed throughout the forest.

Itachi's mind had clicked and in a puff of black smoke and a squadron of crows, he disappeared.

* * *

"Okay. Go and watch over Ai. She has low chakra and gets tired easily but it's no big deal. Take her around the village. Answer any and all of her questions. And the mission, it's B rank in nature," Tsunade said as she walked into her office and sat behind the new, wooden desk Yamato 'built' for her.

"B rank mission? But this girl isn't anything special, there'd be no threats to her life," Naruto argued, his back towards Ai. He didn't see the fleeting look of deep pain that passed her graceful features. Her eyes darkened, it was darkened by a deep hurt.

"You asked for a ninja mission – a real one- and you get a B-rank mission. So what are you complaining about?" asked the annoyed yet somehow amused Godaime Hokage.

"I'm complaining about," the whiskered blonde started but halted immediately as he glanced at Tsunade's glaring eyes.

"No- nothing, nothing at all" he finished as he nervously rubbed the back of his head, "so I guess, we'll go now."

Tsunade grunted and in a jiffy, Naruto was out the door with Ai's hand in his.

Noting the soft and warm feel of Ai's hand in his, Naruto's cheeks heated up and turned slightly pink.

Too soon, however, the warmth was gone.

He looked at Ai's glaring emeralds. _Emeralds_, Naruto mused. _She has the same eye color as Sakura and hers are just as clear_.

"I want to go to the park." She demanded. _Her voice was icy unlike the one she used this morning_, he noted.

A knot formed in the pits of Naruto's stomach but he ignored it thinking he was just hungry though the reason he conjured wasn't even plausible because it had only been fifteen minutes since they had been at Ichiraku's.

"I said I want to go to the park."

Her voice was colder, if that was even possible. Pain was evident in her voice but the ever-so-naïve blonde would never figure out unless it was pointed out or drawn out in front of his face.

He nodded slightly and led her to the place she wanted to go to, thinking all the while why the knot in his stomach would develop when he had nine servings of his favorite ramen fifteen minutes ago. _Normally, I'd be hungry after two hours… _


	5. Chapter 5

**DISLAIMER: **Naruto and the characters from the said anime is not mine. The (cough*crappy*cough) plot, though, of this story is mine; not to mention the characters like Hiro, Ai, and Keiko.

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **It has been a pretty long time, ne? And for that, I apologize. And I'm not very sure if there are new reviews so I'll just thank everyone who reviewed: _Hidan's Little Riku, Narutoske, Miakimiharu, tempest in a tea cup_ and _Heidi_. Thank you very much for your support. I do hope that you find this quite enjoyable and interesting. And, oh, if ever you were well... disappointed with how the last few chapters I had posted turned out, I am very sorry. Anyway, here goes the fifth chapter. Another thing, please forgive my bloody grammar. Thanks! Have fun! :]

**CHAPTER V**

* * *

Brown eyes scanned the village hidden in the leaves or what was known as Konoha and the owner of the brown eyes sighed. Nothing seemed to be off but somehow, there was a lump in Tsunade's throat and her heart hadn't stopped beating erratically. She felt something was wrong. Either that or something was going to be wrong any time soon.

However, the Godaime Hokage was brought out of her musings when her eyes saw a flash of green and her mind registered that blinding set of pearly whites.

_Rock Lee_.

_So their team has already arrived, ne? They have always been a fast group. Quick to leave, quick to accomplish mission, quick to return and, of course, quicker than lightning itself to get their fattened payche-_

Tsunade wasn't even able to complete her thoughts because in less than two seconds, Lee had already made it to her office when she just saw him at the gates of the village.

"Tsunade-sama, we have bad news," he started and Tsunade's heart beat picked up an even faster rate, if that was still possible at all.

_So _this_ was the trouble._

* * *

_Hana_, he thought as his legs sprang from branch to branch. He shouldn't have asked Hana to go to Keiko's rescue but it's too late to do anything about it now. Itachi knew Suigetsu was a very good shinobi and Hana might hurt herself or even, _Kami-sama please don't let this happen_, get herself killed while protecting the girl.

Itachi's calculations were right and he knew that, by now, Hana would have had received the message of the bunshin and she would have gone to go get the girl. He also knew that in a few minutes, Hana with Keiko safe in her arms would have been at the gates of Konoha but his instincts wouldn't let him rest without seeing his wife.

In a jiffy, Itachi was already sprinting across the forest, locating Hana's chakra.

* * *

_This is it…This is what I get for wishful thinking. This is what I get for wanting to have adventures and thrills to color up my _then_ boring existence…_ Keiko's thoughts ran as she continued to fall.

She had been falling for the last four seconds and she was still airborne, _I might have made a wrong approximation. Either that or I may be nearer to death now than I had anticipated._

But when she came to a stop, there was no pain. There was only an "ooff!" sound. It was human voice and from the pitch of it, Keiko could tell that the person was a girl or a lady rather.

Keiko traveled her gaze towards the lady's face; it was easy especially since the lady had Keiko scooped in her arms. The lady, as Keiko had observed, had brown eyes and dark brown hair, _she's pretty_. _Nope, scratch that – she's gorgeous with her fierce brown eyes and her perfect complexion._

Her face bore two fang-like marks, _tattoos maybe_?

Keiko's savior's gaze was so penetrating that the young girl was already ready to cower under the older one's quite intimidating gaze but all fear melted when the older one flashed Keiko a sunny smile or something more like a grin which revealed the former's fangs.

_Cool. _

"I'm Hana. …Inuzuka Hana. And you're Senju Keiko, right?"

"Y-yes. Uh, Uhm… Thank you for saving me. And it was… nice meeting you, Hana-san," she replied and flashed Hana a sunny smile of her own to which Hana just nodded. Keiko had that weird feeling that Hana lied about something, _Hana's name, perhaps?_ Also, she felt that they weren't the only ones around the clearing where they were standing or somewhere near it. There was another "aura" (Keiko couldn't think of another word for it so she settled for "aura") very near Hana. _Weird._

Hana then let her stand but since her feet still ached, Keiko wasn't able to stand by herself for too long causing her to fall back to the dirt - behind first. Hana, not being the most patient person in Konoha let alone the world, pursed her lips which caused Keiko to blush and bow down her head in shame.

This way, she was able to see the half of Hana's body and saw the answers to her questions. She was pregnant, and by the looks of it, she was already in her eight or even ninth month. _What?! And she caught me? Oh no… The baby might be miscarried._

"Here," said the Inuzuka as she extended a hand to Keiko.

This only led Keiko to blush even more. But she shook her head and continued to stand. She wouldn't burden Hana.

_Or I wouldn't burden her even more_, she corrected herself as her mind unwillingly replayed what transpired moments ago.

With much difficulty and discomfort in her part, Keiko was able to stand.

She had never been the strong type of person. She wanted adventure, yes, but at times or make that most of the time, she could really be a klutz and end up hurting and rendering herself and the people around her incapable of accomplishing adventurous thinkgs. But she never wanted to be a dead weight. She never wanted anyone burdened because of her.

Hana had already started walking when she noticed a hand on her shoulder. It was Keiko's.

"Hana-san are you sure you can still walk?"

Her eyes flashed - Hana was, to say the least, affronted.

"Pregnancy wouldn't stop me from doing simple things like walking. Weakling!"

Keiko had wanted to argue back but when she saw Hana flushed because of anger, Keiko knew she had no choice but to agree with the older woman.

Releasing a sigh and a few muttered words of extreme and unhidden irritation, Hana started to lead the lead the girl back to the village when a she felt a slick, wet thing circle its way around her throat.

She froze.

From somewhere behind Hana, she heard Keiko's breathing hitch.

* * *

"TenTen," he called as he oddly felt that something was wrong.

The girl looked back at him with brown eyes full of questions.

"He's attacking people, we've got to help."

TenTen sucked her breath in shock but recovered as soon as she remembered her responsibilities as a kunoichi so she nodded her head and followed Neji as he leapt to the place where Orochimaru's chakra came from, leaving Lee to go on to Konoha on his own, inform the Hokage and request for back-up on his own. Too bad, though, that Lee didn't know.

_Well, he'll be shocked_, she thought with teasing grimness.

"But don't you think it is weird that Orochimaru isn't masking his chakra?" asked she as she traveled her gaze towards his direction. Neji had always looked so handsome but with his long hair flowing in the wind and his face calm even though she could feel his heart beat quickening as they slowly approached the place, _he looked so perfect_, she realized. TenTen blushed at the thought and looked away.

_Why was she ogling at him? Was it because she was afraid that this moment might be her last?_ TenTen sighed at how true her thoughts might be but she prayed with her all that her mind was just too weird for her own good. Orochimaru is a skilled ninja – this fight wouldn't be an easy feat.

"No. Orochimaru isn't much in control of his new container yet so he couldn't mask his chakra but he will be able to do that very soon." Neji's answer 'woke' her from her reverie.

In silence, the two ninjas continued their flight.

Soon after, they arrived.

* * *

"WHAT?!"

"Yes, Hokage-sama, Neji saw him in Suigetsu's body. We came here as soon as we could."

"We, you say but where are your teammates, Lee?"

That was the only time that Lee realized he was all alone. N_eji and TenTen were just behind me when we were returning to the village. They both knew that Orochimaru might attack Konoha but why aren't they here yet? They are not this slow, now, are they? Unless…_

Bile raced up to the bushy-browed shinobi's throat as realization dawned on him.

"Hokage-sama, Neji said that Orochimaru might possibly attack Konoha, do you think they went out to prevent him?"

"No. That would be absurd." Lee's eyes became glassy with this statement, "Neji knows very well that even a jounin couldn't match up to Orochimaru."

"Then maybe, there was someone who was being attached by Orochimaru and they rescued her?"

With this, the Hokage's brows furrowed, _the kid sure has a point_. Lee took the time to get out of the room. They were a team – Neji, TenTen, and Lee. He knew that the others were his responsibility as he was theirs as well.

_I needed to help them. Wait for me, TenTen and Neji! I will help you with my youth!_

* * *

Tsunade's blood clumped when Lee mentioned someone being attacked by the snake sannin. _Keiko_, she thought. Her thoughts raced as her lips moved on their own accord to give orders.

"Gather half of the chuunins at the four gates and guard the gates while the remaining chuunins get the civilians evacuated immediately and keep them protected at all costs. If the genins asked for missions, tell them to guard themselves and their families.

"Let half of the special jounins be with the chuunins guarding the gates. While the ANBU guard the forest and act as first defense if you cannot stop Orochimaru, try to fight him for us to buy some time. Second line of defense is to be composed of the remaining jounins since many of them are out on missions. I will join the first line of defense and offense.

"Also, set up infirmaries on each gate. Station one trained medic nin in each gate."

Tsunade looked at Yamato and Shizune who had entered when Tsunade yelled. Both of them had their eyes wide open.

"I might be overreacting. I'm not sure. All I know is that the snaky bastard is near Konoha and he must be driven out if not killed," she said in an attempt to explain everything in a sentence.

"And you know that Akatsuki might take this chance to attack us to get Naruto and a few others who might be of … use to them," she faltered at the word 'use'. Surely, that's what Akatsuki will do to them but still…

_Wait… Naruto. Where is that knuckle-headed kid now? Oh, no…_

Tsunade could only groan. Loudly. She stood up and readied herself.

Suddenly, her head was throbbing and beads of sweat rolled down her neck.

Then, her vision dimmed until eventually, everything was covered with black. She couldn't see anything. And before she reluctantly started to surrender to unconsciousness, Tsunade heard Shizune's cries of worry.

_A fainting spell_, she realized.

The hokage tried to fight it but found the effort futile when she tripped and fell on her office floor. Face-first.

* * *

Ai sat quietly on a bench at the park and Naruto sat beside her. They had been like this for quite some time now – nine minutes, forty seven seconds to be exact. Both were very silent, and if it was even possible no movement had been done but since it was not possible for humans, they moved but only in the slightest ways possible.

She was used to many of her friends asking forgiveness the very moment something wrong was done. And now, being stuck with a clueless, idiotic boy who hadn't even realized that he did something mean to her was simply unnerving. However, Ai had never been one to shout out her frustrations – she'd rather cry.

Also, Ai knew that not everyone is like her friends; always asking for forgiveness. She knew people out in the real world have humongous egos and wouldn't let their precious prides be wounded for the world. That meant she must never expect everyone to do what she willed. For example, she wanted Naruto to apologize but it was apparent that he wouldn't so she figured she just had to put up with it. So she just sat quietly.

She was used to controlling her anger by sitting quietly and letting the tears spring forth from her eyes. _And look! There they are_, Ai thought grimly as she felt hot tears roll down her cheeks.

* * *

Naruto had always lived a loud, noisy life and the occasional silence he found when he was not with any other person was always treasured in the deepest abyss of his heart but the silence that reigned in between Ai and him was … a bit too uncomfortable.

Another thing was the tight knot in his stomach that had not disappeared. Actually, it only worsened. And he knew it wasn't about hunger (or starvation, as he had put it earlier); he knew it was guilt.

Naruto was not averse to guilt. He felt this guilt when Sasuke left and he couldn't do anything about it. He felt this when he realized what happened to his friends in their quest to bring back the Uchiha. He had the same feeling when Gaara died, and when Chiyo-baa-sama died during the life-transfer jutsu she performed in order to bring Gaara back to life.

Guilt. He was guilty because of the one mean thing he said to this girl who had done nothing to him. The whole "whatever" thing at Ichiraku's was actually nothing to what he did to her.

The exact words he said weren't that painful, he noticed, but the underlying meaning was harsh beyond compare. It was like an "I don't care if she dies this second" only multiplied five times.

With a deep sigh, he ran a hand through his hair. He was about to say his apologies when he sensed someone. _No it was a snake, so therefore it was a something_, he thought with utter disgust and loathing.

However the snake was not alone.

_Oh no..._

A thousand alarms went off in his head.


	6. Chapter 6

**DISCLAIMER: **I do not own Naruto nor the characters in the anime and the manga. I do own, on the other hand, the characters like Ai, Keiko and Hiro, and the ...plot.

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:** I'm back. :] Well, I didn't leave, actually, I just worked on a Harry Potter project, please check it out. Also, I am sorry for the long time it took me to post this chapter, I do hope, however, that you will not be disappointed with this one. And thank you for _Riku-sia_'s review! Which reminds me of another thing, friends, please review/comment/critique on the ...story (may it be the plot, style, grammar, etc.). It will be very much appreciated!

I guess that's about it, so please, do proceed with the sixth chapter.

* * *

**CHAPTER VI**

* * *

Hana shivered as the long and wet thing continued to wrap itself around her neck. Why didn't she smell him? What was wrong with her nose? And what was wrong with her mind? Itachi had warned her about Orochimaru but still she wasn't very careful.

_Fuck_, Hana cursed as she felt the tongue make its way toward her swollen belly.

Panic was already evident in Hana's face and Keiko could see it only so clearly.

She knew she had to repay Hana and this would be her way. She hadn't seen the owner of what appeared to be a tongue yet (she shivered involuntarily as she realized this), but she knew she must fight that person.

With all her will gathered at her hands, she took a nice and firm grip on the tongue and expertly and quickly, though she never really practiced how, freed Hana from the tongue. She was almost done when a maniacal laughter resounded throughout the forest. Then a force knocked both Keiko and Hana off of their feet. The force - it was familiar to Keiko, in a way.

She looked as to where the laughter came from but before she could fully turn her head another force so strong knocked her towards a nearby tree.

Keiko gave a loud grunt but shakily stood up. _I wouldn't let anything happen to Hana-san or her baby! _She thought but soon realized that she mightbe too late as she saw Hana unconsciously leaning against a tree.

But before Keiko was even back to her feet she was once again shook by a very strong force.

"Orochimaru." She heard a firm voice say. She looked up to see a handsome young man with long brown hair and white eyes. A cute brown-haired woman who was with him.

Happy. That was how she felt when she closed her eyes because of fatigue. She knew there were people to protect Hana-san and her baby.

_I couldn't have died any happier…_

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Itachi was running the split second he heard of Orochimaru's evil laughter. He was worried not exactly about Keiko but about his wife and his unborn child.

Yes, Hana and Itachi were married two years ago and now, Hana was almost nine months pregnant with their child.

He knew that it was stupid to ask Hana to get Keiko but he knew he couldn't ask anyone else. If there were a few people he trusted in Konoha, it would be Hana, Tsunade and Naruto only. No one else would come close to those three. But he couldn't ask the Hokage nor the stupid blonde so Hana was the only one he could trust with this delicate mission.

_Still, it was idiotic!_ He berated himself as he came closer and closer to the clearing where Orochimaru was. The raven-haired man hoped against all hope that his wife wasn't there and that she was somewhere, anywhere safe.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Blood dripped from the side of Neji's mouth and his breaths were irregular and ragged. It had only been a good six minutes since they had started this fight against Orochimaru in order to save Hana-san and an unknown girl but TenTen was already down, he supposed. _TenTen!_ His mind shouted.

_No, I couldn't think about her now, Orochimaru wi_- Neji wasn't even able to finish what he was thinking when Orochimaru landed a chakra-powered punch using the sannin's snakes instead of hands to Neji's abdomen. This attack sent him to the ground too drained of chakra so that he couldn't even activate his Byakugan.

Neji opened his now-normal eyes and to his horror saw the Sword of Kusanagi at a ready to plunge deep into his body and end the trouble he was causing Orochimaru.

He tried to stand; he tried to move out of the sword's way but found out that he couldn't. All he could do was pray for his life to be spared and watch the sword lower itself to his body. But he couldn't bring himself to watch his own death so he closed his eyes and soon felt hot blood on his face.

However, the searing pain wasn't there. Only blood. Lots of it.

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Naruto stiffened and his anger rose to such high levels. His vision was starting to be covered in what appeared to be a reddish orange hazy cloud or are those bubbles?

Orochimaru was there. The reason why Sasuke, his best friend, left was there just outside Konoha. The murderer of Sarutobi-sama, one of the few who looked at him as human and acknowledged him as a ninja, and many others was there, very near the village proper.

Naruto wasn't very much in control of himself anymore. He wasn't even aware that he had already grown out two tails. But that was until he heard a cry of pain.

He turned around and saw Ai with bloodied hands and tear-stained cheeks looking at him with wide green eyes. He studied what had happened for a while before he came to his only conclusion – Ai tried to touch him and tell him of the transformation but he was so absorbed in his anger that he wasn't aware of it.

With much difficulty, he kept his emotions in check and turned to Ai. He touched her hand in order to heal it but she moved it away from him. Naruto felt himself swallowed by regret so he just bowed his head and told her in a soft voice, "I'm sorry. But please, stay here and wait for me. I have important matters to attend to."

With that he dashed to the forest though not at his maximum speed in order to conserve chakra and control his anger. Little did he know that the moment the words fell from his lips, Ai decided to follow him.

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TenTen bit her lip in order to restrain herself from screaming. But it was to no avail.

"Ahhhhh!"

The scream was full of pain. And it was because of the Sword of Kusanagi piercing through her body. It passed through her stomach. And from there, blood dripped, soaking the light pink blouse of hers.

The blouse was also soaked in tears – the ones cascading down her prominent cheeks.

_So this was how it was supposed to end, ne? _She asked herself putting a slightly teasing tone-the best she could muster- at the end of her sentence. She mused over this thought as she slowly dropped to her knees. She was weak now, so terribly weak that even without getting impaled by Orochimaru's sword, she would have died of chakra depletion.

That was the reason why she did this. Neji, she had seen him fighting against Orochimaru but it was obvious to her that Neji would not win, or at least not until someone else capable enough to aid Neji arrives.

She saw Orochimaru poised to kill, with the Sword of Kusanagi almost fully drawn from his mouth. And she foresaw Neji's bloodied body on the ground, his heart erratically beating – trying in vain to deliver enough blood throughout his body.

Call her selfish but she had to admit that Neji's death was something she could never ever face. So, she resolved to replace his death with hers hoping so hard that it was enough to save the person she loved.

"TenTen! TenTen!" Neji shouted as his eyes tried to look at the brunette's already closing brown orbs.

"Neji, go. Fight back, reinforcement will… come soon," she gasped as her body slowly weakened due to the excessive loss of blood.

"Don't talk," he argued as he used his now-glowing hands to stop the bleeding. He was never a good medic but his skill was decent enough to heal wounds so he concentrated chakra on her wounded stomach.

"No, Neji. You'll need more chakra," she snapped at him with all her remaining energy.

"Please, I did this because. I care about you. I love you and I don't want you to die. Please, please don't let me die in vain," she said as she fought to control and keep her emotions in check.

But it was hard not to cry so endlessly when your life was ending in front of you and the one person you loved most was showing so much concern – so much love that you continue to hold on to dear life just to see the concern and feel the love.

TenTen's tears clouded her vision but it was not enough to stop her from seeing the danger that was heading Neji's way.

"Look!" She blurted out not only the word but a good amount of the limited blood left in her body. However, she didn't mind. She saw Neji turned his head quickly enough.

She knew he would be safe. With that she felt happy, for the last time.

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A flash of green suddenly interrupted Neji's vision – it was _Lee._

There was relief as he thought of his teammate's name. And further relief when he felt two chakras already nearby and many others approaching. _Good_, he thought, _there are enough of them to rescue Hana-san and the other one_.

He knew he had to save TenTen. True. It was true that her pulse was so weak one would have so terrible a difficulty trying to feel it. But Neji could and he was very determined to have her pulse back to normal soon.

He had to save her. He just had to.

"Lee," he called out. But Lee did not look at him because the spandex-clad lad was so busy trying to run around and land some punches on Orochimaru. Neji knew Lee wouldn't be able to do much. He could, however, at least buy some time for the remaining nins to come and help him beat the crap out of Orochimaru.

"Lee, I am going back to the village. TenTen…" he couldn't quite tell his teammate that TenTen was already on the verge of death so he settled on just, "I need to help save her."

With that Neji sprinted to the forest dimly feeling guilty for leaving his teammate all on his own to take a demon straight from hell.

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Running at breakneck speed around a sannin was a very tiring thing to do, Lee found out. And so, he resolved to try his luck as he found an opening.

He wanted to hit him fast – so fast the sannin wouldn't be able to defend himself. And so, Lee went to attack. However, a second before he landed a punch to Orochimaru's direction reality hit him.

_A sannin wouldn't be so reckless so as to leave an opening_, his mind screamed but the logic of it all hit him quite a while too late.

Orochimaru faced him with that evil look plastered on his face. Lee instantly knew that the very moment he faced this evil person, he met death himself.

With a victorious smile Orochimaru swiftly kicked Lee's chest sending the youth to a nearby tree.

Lee was only dimly aware of the wicked shinobi approaching. He was losing consciousness fast. Nevertheless, he was very much aware of the pain he felt when Orochimaru nudged his limp head.

The snake ninja was just about to snap Lee's neck with his foot when a loud snarl was heard from behind him.

His wicked smile turned into a full blown, snaky grin.

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Naruto wasn't able to hold back the loud snarl from his throat as he saw Orochimaru poised to kill Lee.

_No_, he thought. He already lost his best friend, Sasuke, because of this snake-like bastard; he wasn't going to lose anyone of his friends to him; not if he could help it.

"Leave. Him. Alone."

"So the Kyuubi has made quite an appearance," he paused as another person entered the scene, "and you brought someone who could be a test subject too. How considerate."

_Test Subject?!_ Naruto asked himself in disbelief. He moved his head a bit to the side in order to have his peripheral vision catch someone behind him – Ai.

Naruto growled at Ai. _She wasn't supposed to be here. I told her to stay safe inside the village. _

Orochimaru walked away from Lee's body and walked to where Ai was frozen with fear. He was directly in front of her now and when he was about to land a cool hand on her cheek, another snarl was ripped from Naruto's throat.

The evil sannin gave a light chuckle and faced the demon vessel.

"Quite impatient for a fight, are we now Naruto-kun? Or a little overprotective?"

Then he disappeared only to reappear behind Naruto. However, thanks to the latter's improved speed, Naruto was able to stay away from Orochimaru's line of attack.

He knew he must fight with his all against Orochimaru. He might be dumb but he knew enough so as not to go easy on a sannin, Tsunade-baa-chan taught him that lesson. _Who knew it could be handy?_

Gathering chakra in his palms, Naruto once again thought of his plan. He had already made three bunshins and made them stay away from the clearing they were situated in. By now, they would have made swirling chakras on their palms. He saw Orochimaru poised to attack him and so Naruto heaved a deep breath.

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Itachi had disappeared and Sasuke was pissed. What pissed him off even more was the fact that he couldn't find Suigetsu.

He was already running through the forest now, looking for his partner and praying that he already got the girl, Keiko.

But as he flew from branch to branch he saw a body on the floor. It was Kabuto's. He knew that lately, Orochimaru has occupied Kabuto's body. He also knew that by now he would have needed a new, a stronger container.

_And of course, he got to the idiot!_ He exclaimed as he pieced everything together.

Now, he must get the girl alone. _Crap!_ Sasuke also let other more colorful words slip from his lips as he looked for Keiko.

Finally, he found her chakra pattern but not without the chakra of some people (or should he say creatures?) he didn't particularly like to see.

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Ai was frozen in fear at the sight of Orochimaru and frozen in immense sadness by the growl that Naruto released the exact moment he realized she had followed him.

But when she saw the green-clad guy leaning against a tree she was horror-struck, she rushed to him but something else, or someone else rather, caught her eye – a pregnant woman unconscious …and near her was Keiko.

Ai's world seemed to have stopped for a moment. _Keiko!_ She thought as she ran to her friend's direction but she stopped abruptly as she saw someone else near her friend. She also saw him pick her up – so carefully just like how _someone else_ did it before.

Her eyes widened as she took in his dark hair and dark eyes. Ai knew she had seen him before. _Hiro_.

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Sasuke almost groaned as he saw his ex-best friend and his ex-master – the two people he wished he would never see again in his whole life.

_Why was there a need for them to be at the same place all at the same time?!_

He wanted to get out. Being near Naruto always made him want to go back to the past and undo everything he had done, but he knew it was impossible. Being near them both, on the other hand, made him want to make the impossibility a possibility.

_No matter_, he told himself as he decided to finish his mission. He was also fueled when he saw a girl looking at Keiko.

In a jiffy, Sasuke found himself near Keiko, actually, between her and the other girl.

He picked up Keiko with such surprising and alarming gentleness that was so unlike him. When he was already poised to leave, he saw the green-eyed girl's penetrating stare.

It was the same one he saw on Keiko's eyes only, this girl's stare was much much more accusing that the one Keiko gave him earlier that day. However, he was also aware that Naruto had been watching his movements. He knew he must make his escape and he knew he needed to do it fast.

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Naruto was about to attack Orochimaru with his rasengan but he stopped. Orochimaru knew why – he had sensed Sasuke a few seconds back – and he knew this would get the blonde to stop his attacks.

With the unbelievable stroke of luck, he attacked Naruto with the sword of Kusanagi while the blonde was so distracted by his former best friend's surprising presence. He wasn't even aware that Sasuke had taken someone and fled with the person he abducted.

However, the attack didn't do any harm on the boy because of the demon's cloak.

Orochimaru cursed as he felt more shinobis closing in on the clearing. He tried to look for Keiko, the girl – the reason why he wanted to go to Konoha but found her nowhere to be found.

_Kuso,_ he mentally cursed as ANBU's started arriving.

Orochimaru then transformed into thin air.


	7. Chapter 7

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own Naruto.

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:** Here goes the seventh chapter! Enjoy! :] And, yeah, I changed the title. Hopefully, this would be the final one.

* * *

_**Home**_

CHAPTER VII

* * *

Sasuke leapt from branch to branch. He picked up speed as he reached the boundaries of Fire Country. He knew he had to escape this country and find peace (or the thing closest to it that he could actually feel).

He had been traveling nonstop all day and was almost too exhausted to continue. He knew he could run but he also knew that if he pass out due to extreme exhaustion Keiko might escape from him. And he could never deal with that. That would only make him more miserable.

Missions were his only life now. He had no friends, he had no family, and he had no one to love – not even himself. He knew he must complete this mission. He must bring Keiko Senju to the Akatsuki headquarters and complete this task given to him.

And so, Sasuke decided to rest on a clearing. With a stroke of luck, he found a body of a dead rabbit there that was covered with leaves and twigs. It wasn't really dark but it was cold, he knew they could use a fire. He smirked and let down the girl he had carried straight from the forests of Konoha so that he could do hand seals and set the dead rabbit's body, leaves, and twigs on fire with the use of Katon no Justu.

Half a second later, when a relatively big fire was kindled, Sasuke made his way to the girl and crouched in front of where he had set her down and checked if she was asleep before he leaned against a tree opposite the one he rested her upon. He still couldn't believe any of the things he heard about her but by the time he laid his eyes on her, everything was confirmed.

_Her looks_. Her sleek jet-black hair and a hint of ivory in her complexion, he was sure it was from Orochimaru. And her eyes that he saw earlier, the brown orbs must have been the physical trait she had from Tsunade.

Her eyes had been warm (and with the slightest and fleeting hint of hurt) when she looked at him. This thought made him ponder: _why did she look at me with such tenderness when we barely knew each other? Her gaze, it seemed as if he knew everything about me when in truth she don't even know my name…_

His head was full of different thoughts, of different answers to his question but he knew he would only find out if he asked her – _which I would not do_, he decided. It was out of his normal character to ask about anything that struck his imagination and he would not change that now.

_I would just have to find a way to get the answer from her without necessarily asking_, he finally gave the verdict because his mind was already tired to wonder over such things. He needed his rest. Badly.

He sat himself next to Keiko, wrapped his right hand on her left wrist and leaned his head back to the hard tree. Sasuke could at least get some rest with this position. Once awake, her pulse would change and that would alert him.

Sasuke smiled at this. Smiled. He really needed some good night's sleep.

* * *

Ai felt terrible. She knew she could have saved Keiko. She knew that someone could have ran after Hiro had she told the mask-bearing, black-clad people who arrived soon after her friend was abducted. But she was terrified. She saw Hiro with red eyes.

_Sorry. I am so, so sorry Keiko. _

These were all her thoughts as she attended to the pregnant lady who had been knocked unconscious before she and Naruto arrived.

The bruises the woman received were very minimal, and so Ai started to check on the baby. She focused her hands on the woman's abdomen, she really didn't know what she was doing but something seemed to have told her that she was doing the right thing.

"Is Hana-neechan all right?" She heard Naruto asked from behind her. She still hadn't forgiven him for what he said and what he did before.

"Yes. I'm checking her baby now," she said in a very clipped and calculated voice.

She again focused on Hana's swollen belly and checked on the baby twice with her back turned to Naruto. And that is the reason why she didn't see the hurt evident in his eyes.

"The baby is safe," she announced loud enough for Naruto, the remaining ANBU and the long-haired, red-eyed man who just entered the clearing to hear. After the announcement, she stood up and walked to the green-clad boy.

However, due to extensive usage bordering to abuse of her chakra, her vision dimmed. The place swiveled around her and she lost footing.

Naruto, who had been watching her treat Hana, caught her before she hit the ground and carried her swiftly back to Konoha after Itachi left with Hana.

The ANBU's were the last ones to leave the clearing to look for any Akatsuki members near the village.

* * *

Keiko felt warm lips on hers. She knew who this person was, she told herself as she melted in his arms.

Keiko knew that though he doesn't seem the gentle kind, he really was gentle – very gentle, actually.

All of a sudden, Keiko felt him move away. He disappeared and reappeared only to be seen in the arms of another girl, kissing that girl with so much passion. Keiko felt her heart shatter into _millions of pieces unable to be held together by anybody's hands except his_, she told herself. She wanted to get him, claw him out from the bitch's arms if she could, claim him as hers but she knew that she didn't have the heart to do any of those things.

She had always been the one to give up on someone if that person was not willing to be with her anymore. Running after someone was something her pride couldn't do.

And so she just settled to closing her eyes and avoiding the scene in front of her while she silently cried and muttered his name over and over again. In a matter of minutes, she felt two familiar-feeling hands grip on her shoulders. In extreme shock, her eyes fluttered open only to see Hiro once again now hovering in front of her – Hiro – with all the glory of his raven hair but red eyes.

Keiko knew she must be frightened, terrified even but the faint trace of concern in those red eyes cancelled out all frights. Keiko knew that Hiro still cared.

She smiled a sad smile as her eyes glazed over. However, her ego wouldn't let the tears fall. Contrastingly, she composed herself and looked at the boy in front of her and addressed him with a small smile on her face, "Hiro."

* * *

Beads of sweat formed on Sakura's forehead as she concentrated on TenTen's most fatal wound.

It had already been twenty minutes since Neji had brought TenTen here but Sakura still hadn't made much progress with her gal pal.

"Ino!" She called out to her friend who was at the other hospital room. Ino had been treating Neji but Neji didn't have fatal wounds unlike TenTen so he could be left under the care of other medic nins.

Now, Sakura needed someone who was good. Damn good.

Sakura knew she couldn't do this all alone. TenTen had several other wounds not to mention internal bleedings due to damaged vital organs, excessive blood loss, and several concussions on her head.

Ino immediately came and went over to Sakura who was at the right side of TenTen's hospital bed. Ino gasped as she took in TenTen's appearance – her blood-soaked shirt and hair that seemed to be red rather than brown.

"Get over your shock and work on her," Sakura hissed through gritted teeth. This is so much harder than it seemed. _Kuso_.

"I wish Tsunade-sama is well enough to help," Ino wished as she concentrated on treating TenTen's lungs.

"Quit wishing, start working!"

"I am working!"

"Just shut up," an exasperated Sakura answered back. She was on the verge of crying. She was already doing her best but nothing had changed. TenTen was still on the verge on death and with every damn second that they couldn't get her away from that verge, her soul slipped farther and farther away.

_I couldn't let that happen_. She couldn't let her friend die, she was one of the best medic nins in the village, for crying out loud.

"Sakura!" She heard Ino call her with such a frantic tone. _No, No! Ino, please don't tell me. Please, Ino, don't._

Her wish was granted, Ino didn't say the things Sakura didn't want to hear. Ino found no need to. The machine connected to TenTen did the job as it showed on the screen that the kunoichi's heart was no longer beating.

* * *

Tsunade felt someone move her pillow and she couldn't help but let the annoyed groan out of her lips.

"Oh! You are awake now, Tsunade-sama," Shizune said as Tsunade tried to sit upright on her bed.

"If that isn't obvious, I do not know what is," she muttered to her apprentice as Shizune turned to the table next to Tsunade's bed.

"Please take these to help you recover from chakra exhaustion," Shizune said as she handed Tsunade two pills and a bottle of sake.

"I don't need the pills," the patient said and she took the bottle from Shizune's hands to chug it down her throat.

The other woman released a sigh. Tsunade was their Hokage and so, she wasn't one to be ordered around. If she said she wouldn't take the pills, she really wouldn't.

She was about to take the two pills and the rest of the medicine out of the room when she heard a thump behind her. Apparently, Tsunade tried to stand by her own. Their kage wasn't exactly one to ask for help, she was too stubborn and proud for that, so she just figured that she would stand on her own.

Shizune helped the still-weak and recovering lady up and sat her on the bed. Maybe, just maybe she could persuade Tsunade to take the prescribed medicine.

With the thought in mind, Shizune couldn't help but let a smile spread in her pink lips.

* * *

She felt cold hands from behind her wrap themselves around her waist and hot breath tickled her neck.

"So, how was Tsunade-sama?" the person asked.

"Well, she's awake now though she's still on her way to full recovery. Good thing, I was able to persuade her to take the medicine or else she would have difficulty recuperating." She sighed.

"Don't worry about her. She wouldn't be made hokage is she wasn't tough."

"I know, but Yamato… I care for her a lot, she's like family to me. I just want her to be alright."

"With your care she'll be back in action in no time. Trust me," the ANBU said as he turned her around and gave her a quick peck on the lips.

"Thanks, I really appreciate that," Shizune replied as she freed herself from his grasp and held his left hand with her right.

They walked in silence for a pretty long time before Shizune said something.

"Something's bothering you."

"Well, yeah. You see, in the clearing where Orochimaru attacked, Naruto was there. Also, he was with a girl who obviously don't belong in Konoha nor Fire Country. I don't even think she's from this world. But I saw her treat Hana-san's wounds. I saw her check the baby. And she did it with skill and precision that was somehow akin to the Godaime Hokage's."

Shizune was taken aback by this but she tried to think and tell her boyfriend something that might answer his question.

"You told me that Tsunade-sama has a daughter, right? Maybe she's the daughter. Right, maybe Ai is the kage's child" she said.

"No. I already saw the girl – Tsunade's daughter. That girl had black hair and the one I saw in the clearing had red hair."

"Strange," Shizune mused as she came to a stop in front of the hospital. They had walked long enough to go to the park, idle there before they decided to go back to the hospital.

"Indeed. So I guess I'll do a research about it. And don't worry, I'll take care of myself. If I can't do that I would love it if you take care of me," he teased as Shizune blushed a thousand different shades of red before she punched him on the arm.

Yamato never saw the punch coming and so, in a jiffy, found himself sprawled out on the floor, a few meters away from his girlfriend.

"Oh my! I'm so sorry. I never meant it to be so hard," Shizune said as she rushed to his side and let him stand up.

"It's okay, I knew you never intended to hurt me," Yamato answered with a sweet smile.

Shizune was moved so she hugged him tight before she went back inside the hospital to check on her patient, err, her boss rather.

* * *

Yamato immediately went to start his research. He went beyond the barrier and spied on the people there. He even reviewed periodicals from years back in hopes of digging out something that might help him understand the situation better.

However, even the newspapers were not very helpful.

The ANBU decided that he needed to do more if he wanted adequate information so he disguised himself as a normal person and walked over to Hamano-san, Ai's father or that was what all the information he gathered told him.

"Hamano-san, good day! Can I ask you a few questions, maybe?"

The man eyed him suspiciously for a couple of seconds before carefully and slowly nodding his bald head.

"Do you know Ai Hamano?"

"No."

"Isn't she a daughter of yours?"

"No. I only have three daughters, Momo, Mimi, and Sumire."

"Oh. Uhm, do you remember knowing a girl with red, shoulder-length hair and green eyes?"

"No. I told you. I know nothing about this Ai Hamano! Now, if you'll excuse me," he said as he narrowed his eyes and walked away from the then-disguised Yamato.

Said ANBU member heaved a sigh before walking to a safe place to change back. Looks like, there was nothing in here.

_Maybe, there was more to Ai not in this place, but the one behind the barrier._


	8. Chapter 8

**_HOME_**

* * *

The wind rushed past my opened window as I determinedly pressed the letters in my keyboard hoping to weave yet another story, another dream. However, due to lack of time and inspiration, the incessant typing soon came to a halt and a heavy silence befell me and my surroundings. The story stopped as well. But it shall be continued when the day comes and when the sun rises again and illuminates the dark shrouds of my mind. But before words stop pouring from my mind, know my gratitude to all those who read the story I weaved, for those who sent me words and thoughts, for those who waited and let me bid my time – for everyone. Thank you. And please take heart that the story will seemingly stop for now but time will come and it shall be alive again. When? I can not be certain when I will ink my thoughts again but I am sure that I will write this story again, out of principle and out of gratitude, I shall write again. Until that faithful day, friends!

_*salute*_

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